The Musée du Louvre celebrates the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi

From Wednesday, November 8 to Sunday, November 12, 2017, the Musée du Louvre and the Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrate the birth of the new museum in the United Arab Emirates with a night-time projection of images on the Louvre Pyramid in Paris.Details of the majestic dome created by French architect Jean Nouvel, views of the exterior and interior of the building, and images of works that form the permanent collection as well as those lent by major French museums, including the Louvre, make up this 9-minute slideshow featuring the new Emirati museum.

According to Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Musée du Louvre, “In calling on France to mount a project for a universal museum, Abu Dhabi paid homage to France’s high standards and unparalleled expertise when it comes to questions of culture. An exceptional new museum is about to open its doors thousands of miles from Paris thanks to French know-how. The projection of a slideshow on the Louvre Pyramid is a fun and eloquent way to join the UAE in celebrating, right here in Paris, the birth of the new museum. It is my wish that all Parisians, joggers, tourists, passers-by, onlookers, and Instagrammers share our enthusiasm for this exciting project.”

In the words of Manuel Rabaté, Director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, “It only seemed natural for the Louvre Abu Dhabi to turn to Paris to offer the world a sneak preview of the new museum on the Louvre Pyramid; It’s a way to acknowledge the commitment of France and its museums, first and foremost the Louvre, from the very start of the project.”

To project the images onto the Pyramid, a white triangle will be mounted on its front panel. This will serve as a screen onto which the loop of images, created by Atelier Athem, will be projected in slow sequence from a truck stationed before the Arc du Carrousel. The Ultra HD images will be projected at a brightness of 120,000 lumens. The slideshow will be visible from 6 p.m. to midnight and from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. for the five days of the event.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi opens its doors to the public on November 11, 2017 after several days of festivities organized in the UAE capital.

Wishing to pave the way in a post-oil age, the leaders of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi have embraced a policy of cultural and educational development. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first museum created on Saadiyat Island, a new district destined to become home to other cultural establishments.

To bring the project for a first universal museum in the Arab world to fruition, Abu Dhabi turned with confidence to French know-how. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the fruit of an intergovernmental agreement signed on March 6, 2007 between the United Arab Emirates and France. The move triggered an unprecedented skills-transfer between two countries and gave birth to a national institution.

The agreement brings together twelve French public cultural establishments under the aegis of Agence France-Muséums.

Far from a copy of the Louvre, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is a unique institution designed as a universal museum whose vocation is to celebrate humanity’s shared history through different cultures and civilizations, right up to the most recent contemporary creations.

The Musée du Louvre played an active role in its creation by training staff and sharing expertise in terms of acquisitions, museography, and cultural outreach. It will also organize exhibitions and lend works to the new museum from its collections for the next 15 years.

For the next 30 years, the new museum will also benefit from the prestigious name of the Louvre.